Thame Councillors sceptical about ‘Localism’ changes

ON the day when the Leader of Oxfordshire County Council has announced that a further £50 million worth of cuts are on the way, a plan to hand down responsibility for some services normally carried out by the county council, to town and parish councils, has been met with caution by Thame Town Councillors.

Under the umbrella of ‘Localism’ – Working together‘,  “Giving communities control over local services“, OCC admits that the proposal is aimed at saving them money, by stating: “Reductions in funding for local government coupled with rising demand for services mean that we have to change the way we deliver public services, with a shift towards enabling people and communities to take ownership of local priorities. We will continue to provide community leadership and foster partnership working, whilst recognising that the days when the council could deliver all services to all people have gone.” (More HERE)

The county council says that it believes local communities will benefit through better value for money, improved quality of service and a more responsive service. Such things as Highways services like grass and tree cutting, salt bins, School Crossing Patrols, public toilets and even potholes could be delegated down. It suggests that ways of implementing the services could include the use of volunteers and ‘Social enterprise groups’.

Scepticism from Town Counillors

Cllr Mike Dyer, Chair of Thame Town Council’s Policy and Resources committee, which discussed the proposal at its meeting on Tuesday (13/10), was sceptical, describing one definition of ‘Localism’ as “fending for themselves.” He added however, that the town council would need to consider very carefully, what it wants to take on, how it would do it, and think about some of the opportunities and challenges.

“There may be some initiatives like car parking that we might feel we can do better,” he said.

Cllr Bob Austin said that it was not clear what finances would be devolved down and that he feared town hall staff would be over-loaded.

Cllr Dyer added: “We need to find formulae that suit us. If we don’t take on somethings, they just won’t get done. I have heard for instance, that within a couple of years, repairs to minor roads in the county will not get done!”

Cllr David Bretherton said that he was certain that the town council could fill potholes quickly and more efficiently.

Cllr Helena Fickling gave her views on Localism: “Localism sounds fantastic. Central government says ‘get on with it’ and then says that it wants to control it!” She then suggested that OCC should sell its building in Oxford. “For them to be sitting there when everyone else is ‘skint’ is wrong,” she said.

Cllr Nigel Champken Woods was also sceptical: “We need to be careful, “he said. “Their (County Council and SODC) precept (their part of the Community Charge) will stay the same if they’re spending less, but our’s may have to go up and we’re the bad guys!”

Won’t the money from the developers of all the new housing help?

The question was raised as to whether any extra money coming in to Thame from having the extra housing, would be enough to make up for the extra pressure on services they will bring. Cllr Catherine Jones asked whether the Government’s announcement that Business Rates would go straight to local councils, might mean that some would come directly to Thame. But Cllr Dyer replied that he thought the Business Rates would be going directly to Oxfordshire County Council but that he understood the Minister, Greg Clark, had been lobbied by smaller councils for them to receive rates directly.

What about the more vulnerable in the community?

The question of the threatened closure of Thame’s Children Centre was raised and youth centre too, and Cllr Helena Fickling suggested that the Children’s Centre might be something the town could take on, but that it would need to know whether the county council would allow the building to remain in the community or  would want to sell it off.

Cllr Nigel Champken Woods added that he thought this particular Localism proposal could have as major an impact on Thame as the Neighbourhood Plan has.

Cllr Bob Austin said: “Things we think we can do better, cheaper, more effectively or imaginatively, we should.”

‘Let’s concentrate on the Neighbourhood Plan’

The Town Clerk, Graham Hunt, remarked: “We would need some guidance about how much it’s going to cost us to look after trees and mend potholes etc. I think we need to concentrate on the Neighbourhood Plan Continuity work and things that we can take on will crop up from that by osmosis through the Thame Neighbourhood Plan.”

The consultation process between Oxfordshire County Council, the district, town and parish councils will go on.